As
per The National Waterways Act, 2016, 111 waterways have been declared as
National Waterways (NWs) including the five existing NWs. Out of the 111 NWs,
NW-1, 2, & 3 are already operational. Cargo as well as passenger / cruise
vessels are plying on these waterways. DPR for development of NW-4 & 5 were
completed in 2010. The DPR of NW 5 was updated in 2014. For the newly declared
106 NWs, techno-economic feasibility studies have been initiated. A statement
indicating the approximate length of each of the 111 NWs is given below: .

Sl.
No

National
Waterways

Approximate
Length (Km.)

State

1.

National
Waterway-1

1620

UP,
Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal

2.

National
Waterway-2

891

Assam

3.

National
Waterway-3

365

Kerala

4.

National
Waterway-4

2890

Tamil
Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telanagana

5.

National
Waterway-5

588

Odisha,
West Bengal

6.

National
Waterway-6

71

Assam

7.

National
Waterway-7

96

West
Bengal

8.

National
Waterway-8

28

Kerala

9.

National
Waterway-9

38

Kerala

10.

National
Waterway-10

45

Maharashtra

11.

National
Waterway-11

98

Maharashtra

12.

National
Waterway-12

5.5

UP

13.

National
Waterway-13

11

Tamil
Nadu

14.

National
Waterway-14

49

Odisha

15.

National
Waterway-15

137

West
Bengal

16.

National
Waterway-16

121

Assam

17.

National
Waterway-17

191

HP
& Punjab

18.

National
Waterway-18

73

Assam

19.

National
Waterway-19

68

UP

20.

National Waterway-20

94

Tamil
Nadu

21.

National
Waterway-21

139

Telangana
Karnataka

22.

National
Waterway-22

156

Odisha

23.

National
Waterway-23

56

Odisha

24.

National
Waterway-24

60

UP

25

National
Waterway-25

33

Goa

26

National
Waterway-26

53

J&K
& Punjab

27

National
Waterway-27

17

Goa

28

National
Waterway-28

45

Maharashtra

29

National
Waterway-29

135

West
Bengal

30

National
Waterway-30

114

Assam

31

National
Waterway-31

110

Assam

32

National
Waterway-32

63

Assam

33

National
Waterway-33

61

Assam

34

National
Waterway-34

130

West
Bengal

35

National
Waterway-35

113

West
Bengal

36

National
Waterway-36

121

West
Bengal

37

National
Waterway-37

300

Bihar
& UP

38

National
Waterway-38

62

Assam
& West Bengal

39

National
Waterway-39

49

Meghalaya

40

National
Waterway-40

340

Bihar
& UP

41

National
Waterway-41

112

Karnataka

42

National
Waterway-42

518

UP

43

National
Waterway-43

10

Karnataka

44

National
Waterway-44

64

West
Bengal

45

National
Waterway-45

650

Haryana,
Punjab & Rajasthan

46

National Waterway-46

35

J&K

47

National
Waterway-47

131

West
Bengal

48

National
Waterway-48

590

Rajasthan
& Gujarat

49

National
Waterway-49

110

J&K

50

National
Waterway-50

43

Meghalaya
& Assam

51

National
Waterway-51

23

Karnataka

52

National
Waterway-52

54

Karnataka

53

National
Waterway-53

145

Maharashtra

54

National
Waterway-54

86

UP
& Bihar

55

National
Waterway-55

364

Tamil
Nadu

56

National
Waterway-56

23

Jharkhand

57

National
Waterway-57

46

Assam

58

National
Waterway-58

236

Bihar

59

National Waterway-59

28

Kerala

60

National
Waterway-60

77

West
Bengal

61

National
Waterway-61

28

Meghalaya

62

National
Waterway-62

100

Assam

63

National
Waterway-63

327

Rajasthan

64

National
Waterway-64

425

Odisha

65

National
Waterway-65

81

West
Bengal

66

National
Waterway-66

248

Gujarat

67

National
Waterway-67

94

Karnataka

68

National
Waterway-68

41

Goa

69

National
Waterway-69

5

Tamil
Nadu

70

National
Waterway-70

242

Maharashtra,
&Telangana

71

National
Waterway-71

27

Goa

72

National
Waterway-72

60

Maharashtra

73

National
Waterway-73

227

Gujarat

74

National
Waterway-74

78

Karnataka

75

National
Waterway-75

141

Tamil
Nadu

76

National
Waterway-76

23

Karnataka

77

National
Waterway-77

20

Tamil
Nadu

78

National
Waterway-78

265

Maharashtra
& Telangana

79

National
Waterway-79

29

Andhra
Pradesh

80

National
Waterway-80

125

Tamil
Nadu

81

National
Waterway-81

35

Bihar

82

National
Waterway-82

72

Assam

83

National
Waterway-83

31

Maharashtra

84

National
Waterway-84

42

HP
& J&K

85

National Waterway-85

31

Maharashtra

86

National
Waterway-86

72

West
Bengal

87

National
Waterway-87

212

Gujarat

88

National
Waterway-88

14

Goa

89

National
Waterway-89

46

Maharashtra

90

National
Waterway-90

29

Karnataka

91

National
Waterway-91

52

Maharashtra

92

National
Waterway-92

26

West
Bengal

93

National
Waterway-93

62

Meghalaya

94

National
Waterway-94

160

Bihar

95

National
Waterway-95

111

Assam

96

National
Waterway-96

314

Jharkhand,
West Bengal & Odisha

97

National
Waterway-97 (Sunderbans)

654

West
Bengal

98

National
Waterway-98

377

Punjab
& HP

99

National
Waterway-99

64

Tamil
Nadu

100

National
Waterway-100

436

Maharashtra
& Gujarat

101

National
Waterway-101

42

Nagaland

102

National
Waterway-102

86

Mizoram

103

National
Waterway-103

73

UP

104

National
Waterway-104

230

Telangana,
Karnataka & AP

105

National
Waterway-105

16

Karnataka

106

National
Waterway-106

20

Meghalaya

107

National
Waterway-107

45

Tamil
Nadu

108

National
Waterway-108

53

UP

109

National
Waterway-109

164

Maharashtra
& Telangana

110

National
Waterway-110

1089

Haryana,
UP & Delhi

111

National
Waterway-111

50

Goa

Prior
to undertaking any developmental activities on NWs, a Techno-Economic
Feasibility Study is conducted which inter-alia, includes, Environmental Impact
Assessment (EIA), Environmental Management Plan (EMP) and Environmental &
Social Impact Assessment (ESIA). Based on these study reports, necessary
mitigation measures are taken up as per extant rules and
regulation. The extent, scope and expenditure on development of these NWs will
be known after completion of these studies.

As
per RITES Report of 2014 on “Integrated National Waterways Transportation Grid
(INWTG)” the cost comparison between Inland Water Transport (IWT) mode and
other mode of surface transport like rail and road is as below:

Mode

Freight
( Rs/TKm )

Taxes

Total Rs / TKm

Railways

1.36

3.71%

1.41

Highways

2.50

3.09%

2.58

IWT

1.06

Nil

1.06

The
significant cost saving shows that the promotion of inland water transport
(IWT) would have positive impact on the overall logistics cost.

This information was given by Minister
of State for Shipping, Shri Pon. Radhakrishnan in a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha today.